DAVENPORT, JAMES AND SARAH

George Washington Slept Here?

"Old Landmarks And Historic Personages
of Boston" mentions the "King's Head" Inn. This
establishment was at the northwest corner of Fleet and North streets. (This
intersection is in Boston's North End; it's now the site of an annual
"Fisherman's Feast," a tradition that started there in 1911.) The
citation is hardly a paragraph, but if you have read it you know that the
property was in existence since the beginning of the settlement at Boston,
that it was burned in 1691 and then rebuilt, and was owned and operated by
James Davenport.

In 1789, George Washington stayed at the home of Elizabeth Davenport Ingersoll, widow of Joseph Ingersoll. It could be that
George Washington actually slept at the King's Head. The Ingersolls were
innkeepers at the time of the Boston Tea Party, and although we cannot find a
reference to George Washington staying at the King's Head, we know that
Elizabeth was the eldest child of James Davenport and his second wife,
Sarah. And Sarah was none other than Sarah Franklin...sister of
Benjamin.

In any case, Washington stayed with Elizabeth Ingersoll, whether it was at the King's head or not. And Elizabeth
Ingersoll is the niece of Benjamin Franklin.

Tabitha Davenport (b. 3 May 1689), m. Capt. John Cox Jr. Capt. Cox was a fisherman, and he was killed by Indians on a fishing expedition to Pemaquid Falls May 22, 1747. Other members of his party retreated, but Capt. Cox stood his ground and died.